SHILLONG: The State Planning Board has asked the state government to increase the allocation for the sericulture and weaving department which is generating income and livelihood options for the local weavers.
Talking to newsmen after the Working Group 9 of the Board held a review meeting with the department, co-chairman of the Board, John F Kharshiing said that the Government in the year 2015-16 allocated Rs 2.52 crores in sericulture sector whereas the allocation was reduced to Rs 2.39 crores this year.
As far as assistance for handloom modernization is concerned, Government in the year 2014-15 allocated 23 lakhs and it was reduced to 20 lakhs in the year 2015-16.
Kharshiing pointed out that the Government last year sanctioned Rs 9.17 crores under the Income Generation programme and it was reduced to Rs 5 crores this year.
When asked about the cut in the allocation, Kharshiing said that the allocation might have been reduced due to fund constraints since the issue of ban on coal mining by National Green Tribunal is still on in the state and even the Central Government has done away with non plan schemes.
Earlier, he informed that there were around 38000 weavers in the state including 21000 eri weavers, 6200 muga weavers and 11700 mulberry weavers.
During the review, the Board inquired from the department about the total area in the state covered for weaving activities and department informed the group that around 23000 acres in the state had been covered.
Interestingly, the weavers registered with the department last year generated an income of Rs 45 lakhs and the income has shown tremendous increase in the last couple of years.
The Department, however, till date does not have the database of the private weavers in the state even though it has counted around approximately 38,000 weavers in the state and each one of them is supposedly generating an income of Rs 10,000 to Rs 1,50,000 per year.
“The census is on to identify the private weavers,” he said. According to Kharshiing, the working group of the planning Board was also informed that three apparel and garment units were coming up in Ampati, Tura and one in Ri-Bhoi district.
Kharshiing added that the students of the National Institute of Fashion Technology were also visiting the weavers for research and to explore their fabrics besides weavers also cooperated with the institute for a fashion programme.
In order to provide the weavers with necessary raw materials, the State Government is in the process of establishing mini yarn banks in Shillong and Tura.
John Kharshiing further said that weavers in the year 2015-16 targetted eri plantation in 78 acres with 170 rearing houses besides planting Muga in 44 acres and Mulberry in 50 acres and all the targets were achieved.
The weavers under the Sericulture Development Programme also completed the targetted of planting Mulberry and Muga in 200 acres respectively besides eri in 250 acres.
The weavers in the state have also done quite well as far as production of handloom fabrics are concerned. The weavers in the year 2014-15 produced 25,000 square metres of handloom fabrics which increased to 26, 418 square metres in 2015-16. The target for the year 2017-18 is 28000 square metres.